System and Method for Formatting a Cell in Response to Data Stored in a Separate Location

1. A computer-implemented method for formatting a cell in response to data stored in a separate location, the method comprising: identifying one or more data cells in a first document, wherein each of the one or more data cells is configured to present: a value stored in association with the data cell in the first document; and a conditional format to be applied to the data cell in the first document based on an outcome of a condition, wherein the condition determining the conditional format is determined by a set of data stored in a second document, and wherein the set of data stored in the second document is not stored in the first document; wherein the second document is stored at a separate network location; selecting the set of data stored in the second document on which the condition is based, wherein the selected set of data stored in the second document is different data from data associated with the data cell; establishing the condition that determines the conditional format based on the outcome of the condition; defining a formatting dependency on the data cell that defines a dependency of the data cell on a value of the set of data that is stored in the second document; determining the outcome of the condition based on the set of data stored in the second document; formatting the data cell in accordance with the outcome of the condition; and providing a selection of a formatting type within a formatting interface, such that a selection of the formatting type applies the formatting type to the formatting of the data cell in accordance with the outcome of the condition based on the set of data in the second document, wherein a list in the formatting interface is a menu that allows a user to select whether to format the data cell based on at least one of the set of data and data included in the data cell.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first document includes a locally-stored document stored on a client computing device and the second document is maintained on a server.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising determining whether the set of data stored in the second document is related to the data cell in the first document by determining whether the data cell and the set of data are part of the same online analytical processing (OLAP) cube.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein determining whether the set of data stored in the second document is related to the data cell in the first document further comprises accessing an online analytical processing (OLAP) server to locate the set of data.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the formatting type provides a visual indication of the outcome of the condition based on the set of data within the second document while avoiding storing the set of data within the first document.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the formatting type includes at least one of a color scheme, a data bar, and an icon indicator.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the formatting interface is a drop-down menu.

8. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, the computer instructions when executed by a computer performs a method for formatting a cell in response to data stored in a separate location, the method comprising: identifying one or more data cells in a first document stored in a first location, wherein each of the one or more data cells is configured to present a value stored in the first document in association with the data cell; providing for a conditional format to be applied to the one or more identified cells, the conditional format depending on a condition of a set of data that is stored in a second document stored in a second location that is not stored in the first location; and instantiating a formatting interface that is configured to relate the set of data to a formatting selection according to the condition of the set of data when a selection of the set of data is made, such that when the data cell is formatted, the data is cell is formatted according to the set of data, the formatting type selection, and the condition, wherein the data cell defines a formatting dependency that defines a dependency of the data cell on a value of the set of data that is stored in the second document, wherein the formatting interface provides a selection of a formatting type such that a selection of the formatting type applies the formatting type to the formatting of the data cell in accordance with the outcome of the condition based on the set of data in the second document, and wherein a list in the formatting interface is a menu that allows a user to select whether to format the data cell based on at least one of the set of data and data included in the data cell.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the first location is a client computing device and the second location is a server.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the formatting selection provides a visual indication of the set of data in the second document while avoiding storing the set data within the first document within the first location.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the formatting selection includes at least one of a color scheme, a data bar, and an icon indicator.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the condition defines the applicability of the set of data to the data cell such that the condition relates the set of data to the data cell.

13. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for formatting a cell in response to data stored in a separate location, comprising: a spreadsheet application configured to store and present data in association with a plurality of cells disposed in a spreadsheet; and a conditional formatting module configured allow the spreadsheet application to apply a selectable format to one or more selected cells in the spreadsheet based on a condition of a set of data stored in a data store separate from the spreadsheet and is not stored in the spreadsheet application, the conditional formatting interface including: a data set selector configured to allow a user to identify selected data in the set of data on which the condition of the set of data will be determined, wherein the one or more selected cells define a formatting dependency that defines a dependency of the data cell on a value of data that is stored in the data store separate from the spreadsheet; a condition selector configured to allow the user to specify the condition of the selected data that will trigger application of the selectable visual format to the one or more selected cells; a format selector configured to specify a format to be applied to the one or more selected cells based on the condition of the selected data, wherein a list in the format selector is a menu that allows a user to select whether to format the data cell based on at least one of the set of data and data included in the data cell; and an analyzer configured to access and analyze the selected data and, based on the condition of the selected data, apply the format to the one or more selected cells.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the spreadsheet includes a locally-stored file stored on a client computing device and the second document is maintained on a server.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the data set selector is configured to allow the user to identify the selected data in the set of data from a list of available data stored in a database.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the database includes an online analytical processing (OLAP) cube storing data relatable to the one or more selected cells in the spreadsheet.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein a formatting type applies the selectable format based on the condition of the set of data within the data store while avoiding storing the set of data within the spreadsheet.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the formatting type includes one or more attributes associable with the one or more selected cells causing the one or more selected cells to be configured using at least one of: a color scheme; a data bar; and an icon indicator.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , further comprising instructions allowing a user to select whether to format the data cell based on at least one of the set of data and data included in the data cell.